One Letter Of Difference
by sctwilightvampwolfgal
Summary: Truly, the little moments matter, sleepy reflections, bitter anger when you've known someone mistreated by their family, and many other moments lead into a collection of both joy and misery. *Oneshot collection.* *Inspired off of the ABC Challenge that Anne made and Kirby's list on that challenge on the Miraculous Challenges Forum.*
1. Angel

She's not quite an angel or at least that's not what Nathanael would call her and yet from beside her in bed, it's the image that springs to mind.

It's almost unreal how angelic her face looks without the makeup and how innocent she becomes when she's not able to snark you into submission; it's not that she's completely bad, just her default action is to take authority of any situation. You can't be scared of people if everyone listens to you without fail.

Nathanael's hands tremble as if it's the first time that he delicately brushes her hair back, and a part of him wishes that she was awake right now though he doubts that he'll wish that for much longer when her snark becomes her normal, biting response. It's just that he likes the gentle moments where words don't need to be said, but she likes the routine. She'd told him after all when they'd first started dating that he was just a temporary replacement. The fact that that hadn't remained what he was had to be a sign in some way; he'd ended up marrying her after all.

"Chloe, how are you both my angel and not at all my angel?" His mutter is lost to the night around them as he lays down beside her, knowing that the morning will be chaos all over again. She'll be scrambling to find all of her lawyer paperwork, big books, hastily scratched down notes, and whatever else she needed for all the next few days before the case became just a passing adrenaline rush. Nathanael might just see if he had time to watch it even though court cases weren't movies; she was so beautiful and headstrong in court. No one could call her an angel there, a blessing, sure, from the people that she'd win their cases for, but never an angel. She's as cutthroat as can be in court, straight to the point, dancing on the border of harsh and professionalism.

Tomorrow though, he'd have to scramble to get his artwork together, spend ages slaving over his latest 'masterpiece' though neither of them call it that. Chloe calls it reality, almost realism, even though they both know that it isn't exactly what he sees that he paints, emotions, perceptions come to play in his artwork. He calls it his passion, the driving force that keeps him sane.

Nathanael though will have to get some sleep before his painting leaves him up all night again, especially if he wants to work on completing it before Chloe's case even though that wouldn't be the first case of hers he saw. She truly was practically a monster in the courtroom, people feared her, unless she was on their side. She could be absolutely brutal. Chloe's strong though, and Nathanael appreciates that more than anything.

He loops his fingers with her hands as he wonders if his brutal angel and him will have more to their future than nights of no sleep busyness or days spent both arguing and shouting and relaxing with a movie to unwind from a tough case or relieve himself from a painting or sketch or anything that's pushing him beyond everything and that he can't figure out. He's just thankful that she puts up with all of this, the craziness that their life has become.  
Sleep sings to himself as he curls up by the woman that looks like an innocent angel in her sleep and yet can be brutal as soon as she's awake; he'll try to remember to kiss her in the morning among the rush that's somehow became their life, because if he doesn't, he'll wish he had.


	2. Bellicose

Rena Rouge had taken to considering her superhero partners as her kits, and right now, she desperately wanted to tear a new one into Hawkmoth even though she knew that he was arrested and couldn't physically cause any more harm and that he couldn't really do much else really.

"He's the worst of the worst." Rena Rouge trailed in harsh circles, her tail dangling before her, swaying with the aggression that bubbled out of her without fail.

"Rena," Adrien tried; he'd just returned from Hawkmoth's jail cell to admit like they'd half expected him to that Hawkmoth didn't feel guilty at all and that his words had somehow twisted guilt into Adrien's heart. Cat Noir wasn't supposed to be weakened under harsh nature of his father, not when he'd done so much good for Paris, and possibly the world in its own little ways.

"No!" She snarled, "That bastard's just that, a bastard! He's not allowed to twist our sunshine child into a dark cloud of whatever he seems to like!" She threw her hands in the air, aggression pouring forth from her in waves, "I hate cowards like that."

"Alya," Carapace tried with her first name, "He's in jail. There's no use fighting him."  
"There's always reason to fight a guy with that many issues!" She again threw her hands up into the air, and Ladybug stared down at her feet. They all remembered fighting Hawkmoth, remembered seeing his unmasked face for the first time ever.

"We all hate him too." Queen Bee shifted from her spot on the edge of the roof, "But I just don't have the energy to go beat him to a pulp, and the mayor's daughter in jail, awful, just bad for press." She shrugged, and Alya was half tempted to hit her though she knew that that wouldn't relieve the tension within her.

"I," Adrien paused, "I, don't hate him, Alya, Chloe." Adrien wasn't sure that he could hate his father despite all of this; oh, he wanted to! He just couldn't find the energy to hate a man that had only wanted his wife back, Adrien's mother, and that helped make Adrien the way that he was.

He wished that he could only see the bad in his father or all of the ways that they'd messed up; it was broken, and he couldn't say that he loved him, just he didn't hate him either.

Ladybug spoke up softly, "We must forgive." She looked lost, and even though she'd never always followed that message, she felt like she could or should.

"Yeah," Carapace muttered but didn't say anything else; he'd been beyond frustrated with Gabriel Agreste for so long and yet it had fizzled down or he'd decided to live what feels impossible to live in this case.

"Just," Tears sprang forth in Alya's eyes, "I can't just let him go unpunished for all of this."

"He's being punished, Alya." Carapace muttered, and a life jail sentence didn't feel like enough for all the torment and fear that he'd caused when really it should have. It was too personal to feel like enough.

"I know!" She wailed, and her bellicose rage seemed to finally fizzle down though it clearly wouldn't leave her mind regardless of whatever else stood in her way.


	3. Camphor

It erupted on his tongue, making his belly feel squeamish, but he tried to stay steady since he desperately needed to take the medication; he just needed time to heal up and get better. He can't just not take it. It wouldn't be smart at all.

Cat Noir shifted though he paid close attention to Marinette who sat crosslegged in front of him and had been the one to grab the medicine for him.

The spray smelt awful simply put, the scent clogged his nose, making him long to just get it out of his mouth, but he'd taken it, knowing that it would reduce the ache in his body, make him feel less like just lying there in pain and doing nothing.

If it didn't smell that way or taste that bitter, he probably wouldn't mind as much though Marinette reached out to run her fingers through his hair, calming him or at least putting in effort to calm the cat themed superhero currently in her room, making a face at the taste of the medicine on his tongue.

Marinette didn't seem to mind when he leaned in and tried to just relax, not even when he nuzzled up against her hands, and he was kind of relieved that she'd been willing to take this injured cat into her room and take care of him especially since he wasn't willing to go back home any time soon.

Too many questions to face, too many disappointments that rush through his mind and fill him with a level of agitation that he never ever wanted to face again; it would just be better if he calmed down, gave up on focusing on such irritating things, but he was dedicated to Paris, protecting it, and some skeletons in the closet that you couldn't find before are more important to face than let hang dry.

Cat Noir just wanted an escape, more than he wanted his bruises, and the small amount of bleeding wounds of his to heal; he wanted a day where he wasn't Cat Noir, a day where he wasn't Adrien Agreste. He wanted to be someone else entirely; someone whose life wasn't so complicated and who can just be happy with gentle love and not the heartache that clings to him.

"Can I just stay here for the night, Purrincess?" His voice broke, betraying what made him want to stay here, but he hoped that she wouldn't ask why he didn't want to go home, why he didn't want to quite face the rest of the world right now. Marinette's room was safe with its innocence, its loving nature, and the room made him feel more appreciated, less microscopic.

"You can." He could tell that she knew that the reason that he was asking was quite serious, but she pulled herself up from the floor to find something else to grab and began by making somewhat of a bed for him, "Rest up well, okay? Don't let my parents find you."

Cat Noir had no idea what her parents could do to a superhero that had stayed the night without their permission, but he didn't want to find out as he obediently curled up into a kitty ball and fell asleep on her chaise, leaving her to worry about him even though that had never been his intention.


	4. Drumroll

The steady beat of the drums left her heart in a tangled mess as she counted each beat and waited to know who she was about to spend what was probably an eternally long date with. It wasn't the best thing that she'd ever done to help out with, but she certainly couldn't have went much worse or at the least, it couldn't be too bad.

"Our lucky fellow tonight is our very own lead guitarist, Luka Couffaine." The lead singer of the band announced in his booming voice as the drums finally quieted behind him.

Marinette couldn't help but gasp as she glanced over towards the guitarist who was wearing a nice blue button up and some comfortable and pretty well off jeans. It was a semi-formal event and naturally, the guitarist still looked cleaned up and very rock and roll. His tiered hair being an obvious sign pointing to him being a pretty passionate member of the band.

He wasn't as bad as some of the looks that middle aged men shot her, so she was pretty sure that the date wouldn't be absolutely terrible. There was a chance that she might actually have a decent time.

Luka stepped off of the stage with a sort of grace that she'd never imagined a rocker to have as he stepped closer to her, "Hey, you ready to go?" His voice wasn't booming, and he certainly didn't look intimidating, just kind of casual as he leaned against thin air and sent her a lopsided smile.

"S-Sure." She shrugged, hopping off of the stage for the next unlucky lady to get a date from someone in the room; she was pretty sure that she didn't want to stay around and see where that went as her belly still felt riddled with an unbelievably large amount of nerves.

* * *

"So what kind of music do you like, Marinette?" He seemed kind of normal or relatively speaking wise since he didn't try to do anything that she would have hit him for, charity led date or not. She'd properly introduced herself on the way to the small, locally owned sub shop that had a decent crowd.

"I like all kinds." She waved it away, "Not XY though, I guess I don't care much for Pop actually, but I like bands like Jagged Stone, he's much more real with his music than some of the synthetic stuff you hear around."

"Jagged Stone is one of my favorite bands." He beamed, "It's my dream actually to open for Jagged Stone one day."

"That sounds awesome." Marinette sighed, remembering briefly working with the rocker when she'd designed the cover of one of his albums.

"It would be." Luka leaned back slightly, looking perfectly at home in the homey restaurant.

"Yeah," Marinette let it trail off into nothingness, unsure of where else to take their conversation.

"So what do you do when you're not helping out charities?" Luka asked.

"I'm a designer, not well known. I'm pretty new to having my own clothing line, but I've helped out a few people before and won some competitions. I'm trying to manage an internship with Gabriel Agreste. It's a lot of fun, but a lot of work too." Marinette admitted easily enough; she wasn't the sort to be prideful or boast unnecessarily since she knew that as long as she kept working at it and working hard, she'd get better. What's the use of boasting if you can always improve anyway?

"Oh, are you wearing one of your own designs?" At Luka's question, Marinette looked back down at her dress and nearly laughed; they matched!  
"Yeah, I made it especially for tonight." It was a teal dress that she'd made in honor of the charity, reflecting one of the company's three colors since she figured combining all three into one dress wouldn't turn out so well. The gown fell down to her ankles while the top was spaghetti strapped with a looping neckline, not revealing enough to show any cleavage, just sort of cute and innocent. She preferred wearing clothing kind of like this where she wasn't super revealing and yet still cute; plus she was hoping that she'd looked cute enough to earn the charity some money without attracting a pervert to go on a date with.

"That's cool, real impressive actually." Luka smiled at that.

"Thank you." Marinette decided that this date wasn't as awful as she'd expected when she'd signed up for the date auction, it actually was kind of fun especially when they ended up joking like long term friends on the way back to the party, thankfully missing all of the other date auctions. Most of which had decided to stay in the building for good reason.


	5. Eclipse

Pulling up the folding chair on the library grounds outside left him jittery with excitement; Adrien could scarcely believe that his father let him out to hang out with friends today and see the eclipse.

Marinette smiled as she sat down next to him in her pink, folding, lawn chair.

"Are you excited?" Marinette shifted in her seat, almost matching the excitement of an adorable puppy, herself.

"Yeah!" Adrien cheered.

"This is going to be so cool!" Alya cheered as she set her lawn chair by Marinette's and grabbed their eclipse glasses that the library gave out earlier.

"I can't wait." Nino smiled as he set down by Alya's other side when she waved him over to that spot.

The eclipse wouldn't start for another half an hour yet, but they could see some of their other classmates set up their chairs and even quite a few families with little kids, all just as excited to see the eclipse.

Alya grabbed her phone and started checking to see just if she could get a picture of the sky with her phone camera and the lens' of her eclipse glasses.

"It's your phone." Nino shrugged as he glanced over at the other two of their little group.

Marinette smiled back at him, "It's going to be like nothing else. In some places, it's already started!"

"I'm going to get the best pictures no matter what Nino says." Alya retorted, "My phone camera will be fine."

"Are you sure?" Adrien scooted closer, half leaning over Marinette in an attempt to see Alya's phone, "I don't want you breaking it."

"Nonesense, it's a good camera, and I know what I'm doing." She shrugged, "Besides who could stop the LadyBlogger even when she isn't recording exclusive footage of Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Alya tapped her phone against her head with a confident smile.

"No one." Adrien agreed while ignoring the fact that Marinette shook her head next to him, clearly convinced of just the opposite.

Marinette glanced back towards the sky before slipping her eclipse glasses on and peeking up at the sun, "It hasn't started yet."

"We have a good fifteen minutes yet." Alya reminded her, scootching closer to Nino, "Besides, I wouldn't let you miss it."

"Thank you." Marinette smiled at Alya.

* * *

True to her word, the eclipse started close to fifteen minutes later, and Alya was determined to get the best eclipse pictures, carefully holding her eclipse glasses against her phone and peeking through the phone's camera up at the sun, snapping picture after picture.

She'd give it a brief pause since the process wasn't fast and then jump back in for another 'exclusive' picture.

Marinette was the sort to continuously check it, pause for a small length of time, and then go back and check to see if anymore of it was covered while Nino just tended to wait for any feedback from either Alya or Marinette to check again.

Adrien wasn't ashamed to admit at all that he was often going right up there with Marinette and checking on the eclipse after few moments or so, and if she stumbled, he'd take her hand in his and help her walk back to her lawn chair.

Her hand was nice and warm, besides friends helped other friends out often.

Whenever Adrien hopped up to check on the eclipse, Marinette was always quick to join him; he still wasn't sure exactly how time had flown by so fast or how their drink and snack supply dwindled so fast with only four people.

Either way, he was just glad that his father let him go see the eclipse with friends instead of make him stay home and do another one of his increasingly long list of activities that his father tended to insist on.

He couldn't say whether or not, he would have snuck out to see it anyway, but he did know for sure that it probably wouldn't have been as fun without Marinette and the others.


	6. Fortuitous

In the grand scheme of things, Adrien would look back and find this fortuitous to be able to gaze up into her eyes and know that his lady, his one true love, was everything that he'd ever wanted.

He couldn't count this as much without at least reflecting on the almost a whole year of being partners before this point, without reflecting on the love that hit him straight on, on the first day that she stood up, ready to take on the world.

Her confidence that grew from his support had left his mind more than a little frazzled, seeing the power within her stunned him; Adrien found her entirely enticing to see her strength and eventually her love and joy.

Adrien found the fact that she loved him even more mind boggling, and he couldn't resist the way that the reveal had made him feel with time, at first though he could only imagine the rush of feeling in his chest, the surprise, and the slow building joy.

Seeing Marinette behind that mask that day left his mind in a spinning daze, left his heart on steady fire, and he couldn't help but love his lady all the more for the new side of her that he saw: the way that her kindness seeped in to her everything past the suit, her passionate sense of justice, her adorable shy side, her every little thing.

Ladybug was so much more than just a strong woman behind a mask, she was a kind girl, someone who saw the best in everyone or at least tried to; she had a few exceptions, a few moments where she just couldn't, and he knew that that was only human. He loved her for all of the ways that she was human and all the incredible ways that she is who she is.

She's made all the better for everything in her that makes her human, that makes her more, and that makes her all that she's been to him: a friend, a loyal partner, and his whole world. He just felt unbelievably lucky to finally know who she is.


	7. Gaff

Words pooled like a makeshift gauge, and she already knew that there was no easy way for her to climb out of this mess.

It built on top of a really bad day, trying to balance Chloe's attacks that today seemed to hit home more often than not, trying to ignore her pinpricks of insecurity that flared when she realized that Adrien definitely preferred her alterego to her. There were no quick words that helped offset the pain, and the fact that she'd started the day off with a bad feeling and more than a little tired had only been the beginning of torment.

Hackers got onto Alya's blog again or rather trolls, and this time they were very anti-Ladybug, expressing with clear distaste how the superheroine didn't do her job right, her professionalism created impossible rifts between her and Cat Noir that could never be fixed, they weren't entirely sure if she'd faked the kiss when Dark Cupid attacked since they were oh so sure that she didn't have the guts or drive to kiss Cat Noir.

They pooled like steady drops of water, thoughts, so terrible on top of an already crummy day, and all that she wanted to do was go to bed and not have to deal with another word for a while, but her wish was much too far away to grasp on to.

She'd tried piecing herself back together, and this moment was about the fifth time that she'd tried to get better; on top of all of that, the bakery was unbelievably busy. She hadn't eaten dinner, hadn't had time to rush up stairs for a quick bite to eat, and had been baking and managing sales with her parents all afternoon. Great business was phenomenal for her parents, but Marinette barely had the energy to smile politely to customers or say a, 'have a good day.'

Marinette just felt like collapsing, her legs felt weary, and her stomach growled. Just the harsh words on top of that, the delayed dinner once they'd finally closed the bakery down for the night, and the harsh words that ate away at her didn't help.

It also only seemed to make matters worse when she'd shown up to fight an Akuma at two minutes to midnight, and all that she could think about was her bed that she hadn't been able to lay down in for so long and the thoughts that swirled around her head. She knew it was way worse than bad when all that she could do was judge herself during the Akuma battle, slowing down her strategies, and ultimately making herself a terrible partner for Cat Noir. Even superheroes had their off days.

Her criticisms stung perhaps worse than even the nastiest outside ones; 'you could have dodged that, you should have thought just a few seconds quicker, and then the two of you wouldn't be stuck worn out on a rooftop at fifteen minutes after one, freezing under the onslaught of rain and pure exhaustion.' Being a superhero wasn't easy, but Marinette wouldn't say that her own insecurities didn't hinder her at all, because those blows were the hardest to recover from. A simple Miraculous Cure didn't just take away her thoughts and wash away her insecurities.

She was way too exhausted, stressed out from overthinking and whatever else the world threw at her, when she collapsed against Cat Noir and cried after the Akuma had been defeated, in the solitary quiet of the rooftops. His arms wrapped around her, and bless his soul, he didn't say a word about why she was like this. He just held her like the gentleman he is and bore as much of her pain as possible as she cried from exhaustion and stress before she hurriedly apologized and went home to bed, only to have somehow caught a cold.

Cat Noir was a blessing on her worst of days, and honestly, sleeping in that Saturday morning felt absolutely incredible, stuffy nose, fever, and all. She'd thank him again later and apologize for crying on his shoulder, but for now, sleeping away the blows of her own insecurities and relaxing after a hard night and day was the best kind of feeling in the world. No amount of gaff or harsh comments from herself or someone else could render her miserable the day after once she'd slept on it; she couldn't say with complete honesty that she wouldn't have a bad day again, but at least that one passed, and she was moving on.


	8. Hamper

There was just something about taking care of the laundry with her husband; they hadn't been married all that long, but grabbing the laundry from the hamper and tossing it into the washer by Adrien's side was a special feeling all to its self.

The feeling spread outward like a flower, warming her wherever it went in a steady burst of gentle joy and perfectly relaxed peace. She doubted that anything was as grounding as standing beside her husband as they set the washer off at the same time or as they worked together folding laundry into neat piles.

There wasn't much about it that was all that complicated; she may have taken some extra precautions to take care of his Gabriel line clothes and her own designs, but other than that, it wasn't all that fancy, especially as they set the fancier clothes in their fabric bags placing the hangers up in the closet. There was a certain peace to working together, leaving organized pieces of what were once dirty clothes and now having been washed and properly taken care of placed away.

Marinette wasn't sure there was anything more beautiful than realizing how much she loved her husband in the little moments, the mostly quiet times when they worked in peace beside each other, sometimes turning into little conversations that didn't make the world any different, just little things, sometimes more random than not. Working in tandem with the man that she married was its own special kind of peace.

She wasn't sure how she'd came to know the most amazing man in the world, let alone marry him, and yet she knew his love in the way he looked at her when nothing else in the world could hold them back from telling each other silently that they loved each other or when his hand gingerly lay over hers to quietly ask her to stop and just be in the moment or even when he just smiled at her, and she saw the bright lights of his eyes, so at peace and so in love.

Adrien is a lot like something steady that holds her in place and yet he's somehow something that can make her break from that steady hold and free fall past whatever she thought was possible by his side. With Adrien, doing the laundry was content and beautiful. Honestly, even the most difficult or boring chores were a little better with his help, a little more worthwhile to spend moments with him, usually in quiet peace and sometimes with soft chatter over anything really that struck itself into their minds.

It was more relaxing than sometimes letting their minds wander from stress or exhaustion into difficult Akuma battles that they didn't always get over right away. Usually they were fine, but sometimes an Akuma hit home too much or left them more than a little shocked. In those moments though, chores weren't involved, just patient listening. She'd never get over the things she could learn from listening to her partner recount his memories of a certain moment that she lived through and thought about completely differently.

Adrien was her steady rock and yet he was much more than that, sort of her steady ocean, willing to run a few risks for her. She guessed that that's part of the reason that she loved him as much as he did; a lot of it was just everything that made up her husband, but some of it was just the way he kept her going when times seemed harder or inspiration few and far between, or even how he kept her willing to try something new, set out for a new challenge.

Honestly, she was half surprised that he wasn't a more creative person with how he challenged her, made her stronger with the new ideas that flooded her mind, or how much he became her muse. She had a feeling that it was just for her that he hadn't known these kinds of things about inspiring his family. A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed in her chest at the thought, the idea that Adrien's love for her was as new as her love for him had been, even with all of the years, they learned together as Cat Noir and Ladybug, as Adrien and Marinette.

Her heart swelled in loyal, steady love for her lifelong partner, the man that she'd fallen for so many times and possibly could again and again, her loving husband. She often didn't feel like she'd somehow earned this, but yet she knew that she offered as much of her love or how her heart as she could possibly offer, trying to be the best that she could be for him, and never forgetting what joy honesty and trust bring into her marriage.

It took real effort to love each other past everything sometimes, but in the quiet moments, that love was rewarded by a flowing heart, steady with love for her husband, and willing to start anew when things become harder than before, become full of love for him again. It had its difficult moments, but Adrien was worth it for her, worth any obstacle that held them back, and worth every tear cried up to this point and beyond.

So she'd fold their laundry when the dryer dinged by Adrien's side, and let their love carry her on stronger than before.


	9. Insidious

One night, he didn't come down for dinner, and yet that wasn't enough of a reason to worry too much; the night before, he'd fought with Adrien's mother, but yet they'd somehow managed to get along or at least if they didn't, they put on a good act since then.

Emilie kept her son's attention with a lot of well meaninged chatter, asking about his studies, whether he wanted to watch a show or movie with her that night, and always managed somehow to be the kind of support that Adrien needed. She was good at being a distraction though whether she meant it or not.

Gabriel still didn't come down for dinner no matter how often Adrien and Emilie talked or whether they laughed or seemed happy; his father was caught up with work or something else, and so they acted like it was normal.

Adrien's mother though did carry up some food for her husband though it didn't amount to too much, just something in case he was hungry, before she hurried off to watch one of her and Adrien's favorite movies together. She spent a lot of time that day with her son, more than was even normal, but Adrien soaked up the attention with a childlike glee.

* * *

The next night, Gabriel came back home at midnight; Adrien was already tucked into bed, sound asleep, when his father came home from work, mind kind of blank from overexerting himself.

He crept up the stairs, pausing in his journey to his room to wish his son a goodnight, and with a gentle smile that slowly stretched along his face at just seeing his son fine and presumably happy with the day, he walked to his own bedroom to find his wife asleep, book not even opened on their night table. She usually waited up on nights that Gabriel worked late, and yet tonight, she hadn't bothered even trying to stay awake.

Gabriel's chest hurt, but his wife had been saying some really weird things lately, and even though, he'd argued with her the other day, he still worried about her through whatever was going on.

He changed into night clothes before laying down next to Emilie and trying to fall asleep though his mind felt like a heavy, dead weight in his head. How would he piece everything together like it was normal, when it felt like anything but?

It was harder to fall asleep with the faint feeling that his wife was upset with him, had been for a while, and he realized that she hadn't even sent him 'check in' texts, messages to let him know that he was loved or whether Adrien had asked about him or his job again, or just simple messages asking how he was or if designs were going well. They were random and depended heavily on whatever was happening at home and however Emilie felt, but Gabriel wasn't quite sure how to handle the sudden lack of them.

It was such an ordinary thing to receive them that he'd forgotten that he hadn't received any or sent her a quick message; he tried to return the favor the best that he can if he wasn't super busy at work. Today, he'd worked to the bone, felt like he had to.

He'd pushed himself beyond all sanity, and he'd really liked how his designs were coming along now; he was positive that he was hitting a breakthrough and would soon be a much better designer and better provide for his family. His wife had always been his main support though, and he felt a hole in his heart for not having sent her his in progress designs and for not hearing how she felt about them, what she really, really liked, or what just seemed weird to her.  
He trusted her as more than someone who only modeled his clothing, because he loved her, trusted her opinion, and believed that there was a thing or two to be said about how the model wears the clothes or what he or she likes when the designer makes the clothes with them in mind.

His ideas were shifting to clothing for his son though he doubted that he'd want to model, and why should he when Gabriel had a lead model, his wife that often was his inspiration more than she wasn't. Adrien was young yet, still had time to grow up more before he got more of an introduction into his father's business that he'd take over one day.

He'd make a good model though it was just a thought that Gabriel decided to scrap from his mind and focus on something else entirely.

* * *

Emilie begged him the next day to take a day off, and he decided to only take a half a day of work, because truly his designs were getting somewhere since yesterday, and his inspiration was much steadier than it had been in a while.

He didn't want to give up when things were going so strongly, but he also didn't want to burn himself out especially when his wife wanted to spend time with him again, so when he got home from his half a day at work, he immediately sought her out.

"Let's try the Miraculous out!" Emilie begged, "I want to know what it's like."

"Okay," Gabriel assented as they both ended up spending all day figuring out their powers and how to use them, how to talk to their Kwami better, what the creatures liked eating, and whatever other little details that filled in the blanks rather nicely.

Gabriel and Emilie forgot dinner in their excitement and the newness of it all, and so left their son to eat dinner all by himself for the first time in his life. Adrien sat alone at the dinner table, more confused than frustrated over why his parents weren't sitting with him especially since his father had missed dinner quite a few times lately, and his mother had been by her son's side so often lately that Adrien was beginning to think that it was normal.

He felt lonely as he waited for his parents to come to dinner that never did especially when he found that he couldn't eat much since his belly was in all kinds of knots.

Adrien went up to his room when it seemed like more of a lost cause to wait for his parents that would never come to dinner that night and stare at partially eaten food when loneliness makes it hard to eat.

* * *

The next day, Gabriel barely got to work on time after having slept in, hadn't had a chance to wish Adrien good morning, and had to dart off to even get some work done, but he did manage to finish three suits that he'd started the other day and nearly finish another one. Soon, he'd have to make them and not just the designs, but his inspiration felt steady especially after having talked with Nooroo yesterday.

His wife hadn't said anything weird in quite a few days now, so Gabriel just assumed that their old argument was forgotten and in the past and that La Paon and Le Papillion would be working beside each other for any reason they chose in the future.

They didn't want to make it too obvious, let too much hint at who they were, so they'd stay secretive for a while. Emilie and Gabriel had long since agreed to that, besides if too many people knew too much, a secret identity became a burden hard to keep to yourself.

When Gabriel returned home for the day, Emilie wasn't there, and he found Adrien trying to fight back tears and failing in his bedroom all alone except for the one man that worked for Gabriel standing outside his door in case Adrien needed anything.

"What's wrong?" Seeing his son cry put Gabriel in an overprotective panic mode of sorts; he just wanted his son to be fine and well taken care of. It was hard enough to balance everything else and keep a steady roof over their head though their house wasn't as small or rundown as Gabriel had lived in before, before he'd met success with his clothing line.

"I-I don't know where Mom is. She left in a hurry to buy groceries with a weird, almost sad smile on her face, and she never returned home. It's been a while." Adrien hiccuped with his tears. It was alarming to see his young teenage son fall apart, especially since Gabriel knew it wasn't like his wife to take off in order to buy them groceries. They either sent someone else out to pick up their groceries with a list or they went as a family.

Gabriel had gotten used to his wife not sending him little messages throughout the day and felt an annoying pit in his stomach over the fact that he'd let that get normal and isolate himself even further from his wife.

* * *

He tried at first to keep everything together, to show up and be there for Adrien, but he found it hard to work and focus on Adrien's homeschooling and whatever else.

Working at home wasn't always an option, and eventually, it became a hassle as he sent people out to look for his wife, hid her Miraculous away that she'd left behind, and ended up putting Adrien in more extra curricular activities, so that he wouldn't be bored and that the time would pass faster for him.

It felt like a little bit more each day, and eventually Gabriel would look up and see just how broken they all had come from things like this. How his wife's disappearance left Gabriel broken and wishing that he he knew how to fix himself, and led Adrien towards more loneliness than he'd ever known.

Gabriel's slow fall into not being there like he should, only fueled the flames of loneliness in his son's heart and pushed them the remaining distance apart. By the time that he'd see what he'd done, things would have fallen further and further away from a fix that might patch everything up nicely and let the past become the past. Scars had been left in the wake of their hearts, and those weren't things that were quick to heal at all.


	10. Jumper

Julek stood his ground, adjusting his jumper, the sailor uniform's jacket that he'd gotten when he'd signed up to live a lot like he had in the past.

Boats had become a kind of peaceful tranquility for him, and he loved surrounding himself by the water though he couldn't bring his older sister, Lucia, along to sail. Stupid rules and regulations though Lucia had told him before that she dreamed of being on stage with some of the greats, to be able to sing and play guitar.

He still wasn't quite sure how she'd make it, but Julek would support her past everything. His eyes flickered over to ocean, stepping past to watch it flow past him, not minding at all the fact that they wandered further and further from the safety of land.

Julek wanted to explore, wanted to experience the world, but mostly he just wanted to be surrounded by water that reminded him so much of his childhood, of his father who used to tell him stories of the sea from when he was in the Navy, and how he'd met Julek and Lucia's mother, a beautiful woman that you couldn't help but adore at first sight when she proved the whole world's perceptions wrong.

She liked music loud, loved concerts, but mostly, she didn't talk like any other woman that Julek's father had ever met; she talked almost like a man would, and yet that never turned him away. He said that she talked with her whole soul and spirit, and if she chose to talk that way, why not find it beautiful since it was so her?

Julek knew that his parents weren't normal, that Lucia wasn't normal with how hard she'd struggle, and that he wasn't particularly normal either. Most people didn't find their peace among the waves, but Julek loved water, loved the cool spray of it, was learning to love the scalding sun that started to tan his skin, and he loved the freedom and yet all encompassing memories of his past that the water brought out in him.

He adjusted his collar and stared out over the edge, hearing yet again the voices of the other sailors, roused from wherever they were; Julek knew that he should talk to them more, but he hadn't quite worked up the nerve. He could have joined the Navy and followed his father's footsteps, but Julek wasn't sure that he could fight if push came to shove. Plus, he didn't want to confuse the waves for bullets or be taken away like his father was.

Julek sighed, giving up watching the sea to return to the rest of the sailors, hearing their voices sound just as far away and slightly angry and knowing that he'd have to put his peace at hold to just listen and try to speak with the men that were supposed to be his friends or allies in all of this.

* * *

He doesn't know why she changes everything when really she could have been just another nameless face, but she giggles, and it beckons him away from his peace into something kind of fun.

She introduces herself as Rose, and Julek decides that he likes how that name rolls off of his tongue, and he likes her confidence combined with a sort of femininity that he hadn't seen perhaps his whole life over. He was used to his mother and Lucia, not someone quietly content to be female, and he wondered if her confidence though was the defining point that drew him in, because she made him feel comfortable and wasn't afraid to take the lead.

How could someone so feminine lead him? He didn't ultimately care for whatever answer would be provided for him, but he adored the strength of hers to lead him by the hand with chatter and good joy; her pink dress flowing at her feet and nearly tripping her as she walked.

"Would you feel more comfortable in my jumper, Rose?" Julek asked awkwardly though he had no idea if anything else could be just short enough to keep her from tripping.

"No, it's yours, silly." She giggled as she stared up at him, "Do you want to get a bite to eat or would you rather go to one of those places that sailors go to?"

"I'd love a bite to eat." Julek guessed that he was like nothing else that anyone had ever known since he didn't always do the things that sailors did.

"Okay, thank you." Rose smiled up at him like it was a gift, and so he let her drag him and think that. If so, he'd been giving her little gifts since the beginning, and he loved the idea of it, the idea that may be in his own ways, he brought her joy.


	11. Kindred

The dress sloped perfectly around her figure in the photograph, and if the young woman admiring the picture had been there that day, she would have seen a vibrant, young woman floating to and fro, worrying over her baby boy that really was three years old then, and still managing to somehow have fun as pictures got taken of her like still lifes on a canvas or on a wall.

Emilie had laughed then, perfectly genuine emotion, head thrown back, blond hair falling past her shoulders, and they'd somehow managed to catch that emotion as instant as it was, green eyes lit up with mirth, twinkling like the stars at night, vast as a country night sky.

She'd been a model and yet while still having been one, she was wild and free, the light of her son and her husband's worlds, the joy that kept the family molded together and happy, and perhaps if she'd stood before the young designer, she would have seen a certain joy and fire in her too, would have treated her with that same easy affection that clung to her whether her dresses sloped or she was dressed down. Honestly, the woman had truly loved with her life, affection seeping into every broken pore, and becoming something uniquely there in the world.

Emilie had brushed aside the past scars in those moments, the heartache of once being abandoned by her father for giving someone a chance that she'd never really would have known without it; he'd lightened up over the years, but the scar still remained, not totally healed over her heart. It may never be physical, but the emotional scarring could perhaps be worse.

"She's beautiful." Fingers splayed over the page, careful to not smudge the pictures on the page, purple nails shimmering in the light from the setting sun outside, body half poised as if she wasn't quite sure what to say exactly.

"Yeah, she was always so beautiful." Adrien sat down next to her, "Father always said that I look like her." And even though Adrien could see the resemblance, he doubted that he was half as attractive as she'd always been. She'd been the magnet holding their family together, and without her, everything had fallen apart in one fell swoop.

Adrien wasn't privy to the fact that he had her laugh, not the sound but the freeing quality of it, that same tendency to throw his head back, to smile just like her, to laugh with all his heart on the line and in the air. Even from a picture, Marinette could swear she could almost hear Emilie's laugh and set it like an interlayed set of pictures, perfect in its almost exact nature. They seemed so similar.

She flipped the page, purple finger nails lightly trembling; some of the pictures were photo shoots and yet some were family pictures. Going through the Agreste family photo album felt weird in all kinds of ways especially since it was in a scrapbook simply titled Emilie, something that Adrien was pretty sure that his father put together after the woman of the household had just vanished one day, 'to remember her by.'

Marinette felt as if this was all strangely intimate despite the fact that this could very well be a normal thing as her ring shone on her finger, bright diamond against an ever darkening room. She truly didn't feel like she'd stepped across the right threshold for this, but this above all was for Adrien, even as it bore his heart on its sleeve, with every glossy page, came a new tear into his heart, a new level of vulnerability.

It stung, but there was love written in every tear, love written in every time that he had to try to take deep breaths and control his expressions to actually keep from breaking down at the pain of it all, and there was love written in every flip of the page. Marinette wasn't sure that they could just leave this room and let the past fade away or fizzle for several slow seconds, but she knew that she'd keep going.

She wouldn't see the determination that clung to her like it used to cling to Gabriel, she would see the self sacrifice that Gabriel had tried to master that Emilie was somehow better at, that Adrien was so much better at; she didn't know where to look just like Adrien couldn't see his mother written in every pore of his. He didn't see his mother in his face or in his laugh, but Marinette could see her in Adrien even without ever knowing the full story.

The family resemblance was uncanny, and yet there was something more there too, something undeniably real and kind of painful in the light of everything else, and so written in all that made Adrien who he is, was his mother's mark, and yet Adrien wasn't a perfect replica of his mother, not as his father shone through in some ways.

Marinette's purple painted fingernails flipped the page with the slow tenderness of a mother to her infant, because somehow within every page, there was something so real and tender that her heart stayed on her sleeve, beating and breaking much like her fiancee's did beside her.

Some days it was hard to separate the present from almost mirror images of the past as before this scrapbook could have easily been Emilie and Gabriel when they were both younger, and yet instead sat their son and the woman that he loved more than anything. It was kindred, almost uncanny to have the resemblances on full display even where pain laced through hearts and left them both aching and hurt.


	12. Litigation

Naturally, she was used to hearing this, voices yelling over each other, grumblings under the breath about the other person, and naturally claims that they had to go to the mayor's daughter since therefore she was the best lawyer in all of Paris.

Chloe Bourgeois wasn't unused to this, but whenever they used her father as a reference point to how good she was, it kind of stung a little, reminded her of how very little people looked into credentials nowadays, and how whenever her name was looked up, her father's came up too, sometimes even above her firm.

She sighed as she shifted and went to draw their attention apart, the woman's voice had hit a high crescendo that Chloe would be more impressed by if she didn't hear women argue just like her before, and honestly, no woman's voice should hit that sharp. Chloe had learned to reign in the parts of her that she didn't like when she saw them on other people; Adrien would be so proud if he knew the effort that that took though she doubted that he'd like the way that she tended to judge people that never just seemed to go away for her.

She counted it as part of her job description, and she smiled over at them, false smile, bright look in her eyes that can be so easily faked, "Which one of you wants to be my client?" Simple, straight to the point, and primly ignoring the sudden pale face of the man and the surprise of the woman.

"Oh, I knew to call you." There was that self high tone, and she knew without even a shadow or flicker of a doubt that the woman would be her client since the man hadn't clearly thought this through and probably wouldn't argue against her in this case.

"I'll just get a lawyer that's famous for his or her credentials." He retorted, leaving the room with what little dignity, he probably had. Chloe would hold her tongue; she'd heard it before, and this probably wouldn't be the last, but she knew better than to risk her job over some kind of anger.

"He's a slimebag. You wouldn't want to have him as your client anyway." The woman spoke up with an obviously faked smile, "He stole from me just last year, and I can just tell the way that he looks at women." It didn't ultimately matter the way he looked at women in this particular instance, but Chloe didn't feel like wasting her breath to explain to her new client, just kind of mentioned the cost of being her lawyer.

She'd win the case; she almost always did, and she knew that the woman's bitter feelings wouldn't be the winner of the case even as she looked down at her flashing wedding band. Clearly, the woman had married the man that she was suing over thievery, and so whether she 'knew' or not, or whatever her rationale was, this was all over petty stuff. Sort of like couple's bickering going too far and ending up in court.

* * *

"So, he stole this, this, and this from me over the past three years, this one was just two months ago. It took a while to get ready for court, you see?" The woman spoke up well enough though Chloe couldn't say for sure whether she liked the woman as a person or was just worn out with her bitter negativity. Chloe looked at these kinds of cases almost like karma or at least when she was in a bitter mood as karma due to the many times that she'd nearly lost Adrien or had a fight with Marinette over something or other.  
Adrien hated those fights, and usually tried to steer Chloe clear from them in the best kinds of ways possible, but yet she couldn't quite deny the thrill of a fight with timely placed words and balancing just between outright anger and logic. Chloe wasn't quite sure anymore if she was always this way or if her job seeped into her quite like Queen Bee did.

"So, he's made a point of stealing from you? He hasn't made any plans to give anything back to you?" Chloe asked, trying to remain polite enough that she wouldn't fight with her client; she preferred the much more fun, complex cases where being self entitled wasn't the case for both of the clients.

"Not that I'm aware of." She muttered glumly, and Chloe nodded her head, making sure that she'll remember that even as she scoured over countless paperwork, slaved over the little details throughout all of the case, and made sure that she knew just what the opposing side would say, so that she could rip a new one into them and win the case. She trusted herself to win, no matter how annoying the clientele, and she knew that they'd make it through this somehow not in any more pieces than when they'd started out.


	13. Moribund

The blood oozed out of her chest, just like the bullet had moments before, and though her eyes were open, her breathing was uneven and heavy.

Fingers curled over her own, "Breathe, Mom, breathe!" Ladybug chanted even though the words shouldn't have tumbled so clearly out of her mouth, and even as Cat Noir looked on.

"M'lady, I-I'll go get someone." Cat Noir stammered, his partner's identity spilled out as easily as could be for him, and he knew that he needed to do something quick even though he wasn't quite sure how he was still moving. His legs threatened to give out on him, because Sabine had never deserved this kind of fate. She'd always been welcoming and kind as long as he knew her, and to see that Ladybug was sweet Marinette bit into his heart, leaving holes where no more holes should be.

He rushed on still shaking knees to the hospital, begging for anyone to just get an ambulance there, hands trembling when he pulled out the GPS location on his baton, eyes wet with tears that didn't quite fall from their cages.

Cat Noir wasn't sure anymore whether he was going to faint or throw up, but he needed to make it back before he lost track of Sabine and Marinette or Ladybug as she was still suited up.

His mind flashed to Tom, and he knew even as he raced off, knees shaking less under his determination, to grab the baker and bring him over to his dying wife, because if anything, Tom had a right to know.

"Sir, sir!" Cat Noir choked out, "Come quick." Tom still wore his apron from work and had flour on his hand, but he listened, following the hero that grew impatient and just picked him up.

Cat Noir practically tripped over his own boots when he landed next to them, and just seeing Tom race to his wife and Ladybug broke Cat Noir's heart, "Where's Marinette? Where's my daughter?"

"Right here, Dad." Ladybug cried, pulling him into her arms, before one hand inevitably went back to her mother, not caring whether she was still Ladybug or Marinette at the moment.

Any doubts that Cat Noir could have had would have faded at just that name, but he'd already known from just knowing Sabine and Tom that Ladybug was their daughter. It hurt, almost like losing his mother all over again, and yet more final.

Seeing this with his own eyes hurt like a wound reopening especially since no Miraculous Cure could simply save Sabine now, and so he reached out a shaky hand, and whispered, "Thank you, Sabine, for always being so kind to me." When she stared up at him, he knew that she knew now. There must have been some kind of clarity when life was fading fast from your veins to allow her to see past the mask as he listened to the ambulance finally showing up though it was probably too late, much too late to save her.


	14. Never

Never say never they say, right? Once upon a time ago, I used to say that she was just a friend, never anything more, and that's what I'd always thought and yet here I stand watching her walk down the aisle with more than a steady or hard thump of my heart. I'm in love, so completely too. She has me more than a little smitten with her, and I'll gladly be her kitten through and through.

Okay, I used to say that I could never love anyone the way that I love Ladybug, and yet to say that now would be positively outlandish, because Ladybug was just a dream then and now she's more and yet even more than that, this woman, this incredible woman walking down the aisle to greet me with a bright smile and practically star filled, blue eyes is more than a dream; she's all my dreams rolled up into one giant parfait. I'm almost scared to even have a spoonful of that love.

I used to say that I never would get my wish, that my stars would never align, and Ladybug would never see me as more than her friend after years of being let down, usually gently, and yet that never could never hold onto me with perfect strength. In fact, now I could laugh at the absurdity of it if I ever wanted to. I used to never think that love could start with a misunderstanding, and then honesty with a whole lot of forgiveness with an umbrella. She still kept it after all of these years, and one day, very soon, it will be moved into our house together, and we'll tell our future children the story of the umbrella like we can't very well tell them about being tangled up in a yoyo's string. I'm getting way too ahead of myself, but I love her more than my whole being can contain. Okay, I should probably rewind a little or at least explain why all my nevers changed to some incredible, ever after.

She was the reason that all my nevers became happy ones, became something more than a little never, because she fell for me twice without needing to know that it was me. She fell in love with all sides of me, whether I was putting on a show, or just trying to hide my heart. She saw through every mask of mine. My wonderful Princess is more than just a dream.

I guess I fell so completely in love with her, both ways, that a change had to be inevitable. She's grabbed all parts of me, sides that I could never show anyone else, and yet she loves all the more completely. Marinette knows my whole heart and soul, and there probably isn't anything that I haven't confessed to her. She's walking down the aisle to marry me, a broken man standing here, wondering if luck made true love even more powerful, because luck brought her here to me, my perfect other half. I'm practically crying as is, and it feels like a special piece of Heaven, something that I doubt that anyone else has ever uncovered. She's my Princess, and yet she loves her lowly knight as if he were a prince just waiting for her to get here.

Marinette started out as a friend on both sides of the masks, and yet I've made enough of a fool of myself over her that I wonder what she must see in me. Clearly, she sees enough to want to walk down this aisle and join me, and yet I have no idea how I could ever be enough for her.

She accepted me, didn't force me to pick an identity, or mold myself into place. That's the kind of never that I like: she never forced me to change or to not change. She just loved me for all that I am, mask or not, showoff or perfection, real somewhere in between both the mask and the 'perfect' side, and she accepted it, loves it, loves me. I shouldn't gush all day over her like this, but I doubt that I could never love her, because she's all the stars and the world to me. She's everything, and I'm glad that even with everything, even through everything, she's accepted me, her flawed kitty. I love you, Marinette, more than you can know and more than anyone can take from us. I'll try to count everything in evers, like forever, and not count things in the nevers that I've never had any sway over.


End file.
